Power hand tools, such as grinders and polishers, are used in a wide variety of manufacturing environments, including in the aerospace and automotive industries, for example. Certain hand tools can be quite heavy and cumbersome. Even so, in some cases, a tool operator may be required to hold and maneuver the tool in a particular position or orientation with respect to a workpiece for an extended period of time, such as an 8-hour work shift. In such cases, the tool operator may experience fatigue, strain, or even injury over time.
In addition, in some cases, an operator may simply be incapable of supporting the weight of a tool for an extended time period. In such cases, the tool or a portion of it may become misaligned or unbalanced, which may cause damage to the tool and/or the workpiece. To provide an example, a hand grinder tool may include a head with a rotating brush that is intended to remain parallel to the surface of a workpiece. If the operator struggles to support the weight of the tool, the head may tilt over time, making it difficult to grind the surface of the workpiece as desired, particularly if it is contoured. In addition, the tilting of the tool head may cause uneven wear of the rotating brush, which may in turn require more frequent brush replacement, costing time and money.